Take control of your story. Speaking out is a sign of strength, and we’re here if you wish to talk about your experience or how it has impacted you, or if you want to know how to better support a friend or family member.
Call our free, confidential support line:
Monday to Thursday: 10 AM – 9 PM
Friday: 10 AM – 6 PM
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
We know that abuse can be isolating, but you are not alone. We recognise that seeking support is not easy and we hope that the information here will help you in your recovery.
Abuse and abusers can make you feel as though you were the only one that it happened to, the only person who could possibly feel this way, but there are an estimated 3.3 million adult male survivors of childhood abuse in England and Wales alone.
NAPAC supports over 10,000 adult survivors of childhood abuse each year, so please do call if you feel ready.
If you aren’t yet ready to talk and you’d prefer to do some reading of your own, this booklet was written to address the common concerns and questions of male survivors of childhood abuse.
Despite common perceptions, it isn’t solely physical abuse, and it can be perpetrated by women, as well as men. Like girls, the most common type of childhood abuse that boys experience is sexual. However, 41% of male callers to NAPAC’s support service also disclose emotional abuse and 1 in 3 men mention physical abuse.
More than half of all male callers express feeling anxiety because of the abuse they experienced in childhood. Around a third feel depressed and angry, with 37% experiencing relationship issues and confusion.
It may take years before you connect the way you are feeling with the abuse you experienced, and even when you do, your emotions may not make sense to you. This is completely normal; everyone reacts to trauma in different ways.
If you want to talk, you can always come to NAPAC, be that via our support line listed at the top of this page, or by emailing support@napac.org.uk.
If you are looking for a more specialist service, we’ve listed information on a few organisations below.
MSP is a network of organisations working with male victims/survivors of sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation
Safeline runs a national male survivor helpline and an online Live Chat support
Survivors UK supports any man, boy or non-binary person who has ever experienced unwanted sexual activity via webchat or text
We are Survivors offers a range of services for male survivors, including telephone support, online support and drop in sessions
Andy's Man Club is a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free to attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online.
We are a very small team and it can be difficult to get through. Please try at different times rather than re-dialling repeatedly as our team dedicate time to finish each call. We offer 30 minutes of supportive listening with signposting if that is relevant to your needs, but we cannot offer on-going support or counselling.
We also offer support by email – support@napac.org.uk
NAPAC’s series of booklets for survivors and those who support them are free to download
and are also available in audio format.
If you are feeling anxious or having a panic attack it can be useful to know these calming techniques.
Approximately 26% of callers to our support line identify as male. We support thousands of men each year and we're here when you're ready to talk.
NAPAC is here for all adult survivors of childhood abuse, including men.
We set no standards for what it means to identify or describe oneself as male or female, either now or in the past, either publicly or privately and understand gender identity can be fluid .
For us, this includes cisgender (cis), transgender (trans), intersex, and non-binary identities, individuals, and communities.
